Spinach & Ricotta Tortellini with Cream

I LOVE pasta. I will always LOVE pasta; so thank goodness there are so many different types of pastas to satisfy my pasta addiction and that I have 3 bambinos to run around after to work it off! LOL.

Tortellini is such a fun pasta. It is its own small, sweet, delicious little package – just waiting for you to open it and discover what’s inside. You can stuff it with a myriad of fillings and the toppings are just as varied. For this recipe I chose a very traditional spinach and ricotta with cream sauce.

I like to saute’ the spinach (with garlic of course) to flavor it. You HAVE to strain the spinach afterwards to remove all the liquid. You don’t want excess liquid. When making your cream sauce, taste as you go, the sour cream will make it very acidic so go lightly on that. Find your balance. If you want your sauce thicker just add more Parmigiano Reggiano (remember quality ingredients make quality food. So splurge on the real deal). These freeze beautifully as well. Just flash freeze them on a baking sheet first & then put them into a freezer bag for the next time you’ve got a pasta craving. Using the wonton wrappers is a quick & convenient alternative if you don’t have time to make your own dough & yes, you can rest easy there will be many more variations of this recipe to come!

To assemble Tortellini: Place a small dollop of spinach mixture in center of wrapper. Moisten the edges with water. Fold the wrapper into a triangle. Pressing down to remove all air & seal well. Fold the two sides into each other and secure with water (see Ginger Pork Dumplings for step by step diagram). Continue until all wrappers are assembled.

To make cream sauce: In a small saute pan over medium-low heat, add heavy whipping cream and half of sour cream. Stir. Add in 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Stir and cook until thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To cook Tortellini: Place Tortellini into gently boiling water. Be careful not to crowd the pot. You will have to do multiple batches. Cook roughly 4-5 minutes until Tortellini rises to the top. Remove Tortellini from water, strain and place into cream sauce.